It’s been a tough week in opera. The Tamar Iveri affaire has ruffled feathers and jangled nerves. The story ends well, except for Iveri, but no-one’s really celebrating, so opening night of the 2014 Winter Season of Opera feels strangely muted.

It’s Rigoletto, in a new production directed by Roger Hodgman, with Renato Palumbo in the pit. The curtain goes up to Verdi’s dour, menacing chords, on a dour, menacing sixteenth century palazzo. It’s only when the Duke of Mantua’s boisterous coterie explodes through the double doors that we can heave a sigh of relief. Revelry. Scantily-clad women. Escapism.

Opera Australia has waited years to replace its famous Elijah Moshinsky production of Rigoletto, and for good reason: it’s visually and dramatically fabulous. It is also, however, 24 years old, so definitely time to take a fresh look. Roger Hodgman has, wisely, backed away from another themed interpretation, opting instead for a return to basics: great singing and clever direction to reveal the classic structure of Verdi’s near perfect drama.
 
Great singing is always the best place to start. As The Duke of Mantua, Gianluca Terranova kills "Questo e quella", relishing the high tessitura and jaunty rhythms as he swaggers around the stage. It’s a promising start, backed up by a genuinely seductive characterisation. You’d definitely buy a used car from this man.

As for the title role, Opera Australia have taken a bold step in casting Giorgio Caoduro. It’s his first Rigoletto and he is more than up to the task, vocally. His "Pari Siamo" is impressive in its range of expression, and the ringing tone powering his fortissimos catches you by surprise. Dramatically, Caoduro works hard to create a weighty portrayal of a bitter oddball but falls short of genuine menace. That will come.

The lovely Emma Matthews sings Gilda. Her "Caro Nome" is a highlight of the show and she plays the doe-eyed youngster with breathy girlishness, turning to genuine horror as the events unfold. She is undoubtedly the right voice for this role.

As Sparafucile, David Parkin continues to grow into his genuine basso profundo, adding volume and nuance to his imposing stage presence. Sian Pendry is a luscious Maddalena.

The sets and costumes (Richard Roberts and Tracy Grant Lord) fulfill the vaguely Italian, vaguely 1600s space, without being precious – there are plenty of drama-serving anachronisms. Most effective is a double revolve, a slick device which keeps the eye constantly moving about the stage, picking up on the delicious little details of business that Hodgman has injected throughout. It is like a director’s textbook on how to tell a story.

But in spite of its handsome looks, deft direction and near ideal musical performances, this is a production which requires a suspension of disbelief which goes far beyond that which modern audiences are used to. We know that a sixteen year old could not sing "Caro Nome". We know that Verdi tenors need a barrel-like chest. But when the reunion of father and daughter looks more passionate, more downright romantic, than the meeting between the lovers, the whole drama begins to shake.

What Roger Hodgman has delivered for Opera Australia’s new Rigoletto is a top show, with a cracking cast, but it nevertheless feels like you have entered a time warp. It’s like historically-informed opera, and we’re talking 1950s, not 1600s. The wenches draped around the room, the hairy-chested men and larger-than-life gestures feel like a parody of traditional opera. Indeed, Gaultier Malde’s farewell to Gilda is an overt parody, a deliciously funny exit which deserves the laughs (complete with brilliant comic timing from both Gianluca Terranova and Dominica Matthews). However, in the following scene, where Rigoletto helps the rabble steal his daughter, it feels like there is scarcely an attempt at befuddling Rigoletto. He's being dumb, and we've just got to sit tight and believe.

This is slick and professional production that feels like it is designed to delight a traditional opera audience, and no doubt it will. But what is a traditional opera audience these days? Is Australia’s national opera company underestimating its loyal fans?